"Smokey Joe's Café is a foot-stomping celebration of Leiber and Stoller's treasured songbook," artistic director Molly Smith said in a statement. "I'm thrilled to welcome back our dear friend Randy Johnson and also the marvelously versatile cast he has assembled. I'm sure they will raise the roof in bringing these timeless tunes to life."

"When Molly called and asked to me direct Smokey Joe's Café, I didn't even let her finish the sentence—it was going to be a 'yes!,'" Johnson added. "I am so happy to be directing my friend Mike Stoller's classic musical, and it's very fitting that my next theatrical venture — after my recent Broadway debut as a director and playwright with A Night with Janis Joplin — is at Arena Stage. It's wonderful to be back in D.C. at my theatrical 'home,' where I've felt incredibly supported and nurtured."